The New Jersey Devils have a new head of hockey operations.
Sunny Mehta, formerly an assistant with the Florida Panthers, has been hired by the Devils as general manager, the team announced on Thursday.
Mehta was also reportedly a candidate in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ executive search.
The 48-year-old, who was raised in Wyckoff, N.J., spent the past six seasons with the Panthers, winning two Stanley Cups. Over the past three years, he served as head of analytics as well as assistant GM.
“This is a dream come true for a New Jersey kid, who grew up watching Devils practices just 20 minutes away in Totowa,” Mehta said in a press release. “New Jersey has a tremendous young core that will be looking to get back to being a contender, a complement of young assets and draft picks, and a passionate fan base hungry for success. I was fortunate enough to watch the New Jersey Devils raise three Stanley Cups and am excited to get to work to return to that level.”
Mehta, who will be introduced with a media availability on Tuesday, becomes the sixth general manager in Devils history. New Jersey is coming off its second straight year missing the post-season, placing seventh in the Metropolitan Division with 87 points in 82 games.
He will take time to evaluate the status of head coach Sheldon Keefe, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported.
Devils star forward Jack Hughes missed chunks of the season due to injury, but scored the golden goal for the U.S. in the Olympic men’s hockey tournament.
“We quickly realized this job was in high demand and were incredibly fortunate to meet with many qualified candidates,” managing partner David Blitzer said in a statement. “Sunny’s familiarity with our organization and experience with a two-time Stanley Cup-winning team are characteristics that will serve as a foundation for future success. Our expectations are to be a perennial playoff team and compete for the Stanley Cup, and I look forward to Sunny leading us there.”
Mehta previously spent four seasons with the Devils from 2014-15 to 2017-18 under Lou Lamoriello and Ray Shero.
Prior to joining the NHL, Mehta was a professional musician and poker player. He studied Jazz Guitar and Studio at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and later wrote two books on poker strategy called Professional No-Limit Hold ‘Em, Volume 1 (2009) and Small Stakes No-Limit Hold ‘Em (2007).
With the Devils having filled their GM vacancy, it leaves the Maple Leafs, Seattle Kraken and Nashville Predators as the remaining openings.
The Devils fired previous GM Tom Fitzgerald earlier in April.
